Logitec Harmony Ultimate

The new Logitech Harmony Ultimate has the ability to control Phillips Hue via the Logitech hub that you plug into your network. Would it be possible for smart things to communicate to the harmony and back? It would be neat to use the harmony in a home theater setup and have it talk to smart things.

I think this is my end goal right here, pausing/playing a movie and the lights turn on/off.

Talking to the Logitech Harmony Hub is certainly high on my priority list as well (that and Sonos) once my hub arrives. Unfortunately Logitech do not provide any information on an API for the hub and have indicated that they don’t intend to, despite the MANY requests they’ve had since the product was released.

The best information I’ve found so far can be found here:

<a href="http://petelepage.com/blog/tag/harmony-ultimate-api/">http://petelepage.com/blog/tag/harmony-ultimate-api/</a>
<a href="https://github.com/petele/pyharmony/">https://github.com/petele/pyharmony/</a>

Though highly requested, I would not hold my breath for a Harmony API. For now, pyharmony is your best option, like @chuckles pointed out.

The problem with SmartThings integration is that the Harmony hub speaks XMPP, and can’t be addressed through a REST API. So that right there makes it pretty much impossible for you to create a ST device handler that communicates directly with the hub. You’d have to relay through some sort of proxy that translates the messages between the ST hub and the Harmony hub. Also note that your Harmony hub needs to be addressable from the ST cloud, which lives outside your LAN, so you’d have to open up your firewall / NAT. All of that makes it a huge pain.

You don’t have access to java.Socket in SmartApps, so that’s not an option either. SmartThings could add API for communicating over XMPP, or simply import the Java Smack API, but considering all the other requests and fixes they have on their plate, I am pretty sure this won’t happen anytime soon, if ever.

Maybe someone else has a better idea. I’d certainly love to see Harmony integration!

I was attending one of the developer hangouts where they said they were in contact with Logitech. Maybe it’s worth someone asking at one of the hangouts if Logitech Harmony can be added?

At very early stages, but I was able to wrap the pyharmony code with a Python RESTful Web Service and call that directly in a SmartApp with a Virtual on/off switch. It requires the web service to be running on one of my Macs, but the call from the hub to the web service is over the LAN, no port forwarding required.

Right now I’ve just been testing turning off the system, but it works.

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Great news! This is definitely something I’m interested in.

Integration with a Harmony Hub would be HUGE. We have three in our house (family room, theater, master bed). The kids are always leaving the TV on when they leave the room, so it would be great to flash a lamp if it doesn’t sense motion for X minutes to warn that it’s about to shut off the TV. If it still doesn’t sense motion for another minute, the “Off” sequence fires from the Harmony, turning off the TV, Sat, and Receiver.

How could Logitech possibly not want to be on board? We are fast approaching the point (and we’re there for some of us) where the ability to integrate with ST (or Vera, or whatever) is a decision point for purchasing products.

You would also need something that could determine the TV is on since IR only toggles on/off without knowing the state.

Does anyone know a product that can do that?

If my TV is on and I unplug it, it turns back on as soon as power is restored. (I wish I could disable that.) If your TV has a similar feature, that would mean that state of outlet = state of TV.

Most devices have discreet IR codes for on and off (all of mine do).

As a long time Harmony proponent, I gave up on them last year in favor of GC iTachs, (which has an open API). I control them from iRule on Android and iOS devices, from my Mac using python, and from SmartThings using HAM Bridge.

While it would be nice to see native support for iTachs in SmartThings, it really isn’t necessary.

One of my favorites is a script I wrote to fire up the main A/V system, and the garage audio, set the sources to a TiVo, and set the TiVo to play the last recorded evening news broadcast, all executed by SmartThings when I pull into the garage after 5pm. (c;

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which model of
Logitech Harmony

It looks like Logitech have gone one step further and released a new “home control” device…with dedicated light/switch buttons on the remote and (allegedly) a developer program and compatibility with smartthings.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/17/logitech-extends-harmony-to-control-your-home/?
http://www.myharmony.com/products/detail/home-control/

Here is some more info on how the new Harmony remote connects with smartthings:

http://support.myharmony.com/en/article.htm?faqid=s-m-4061

I’m interested in seeing it in action.

So far from the link above it looks like you can control Smartthings from the Harmony app but I am interested in the reverse as well. I would assume you can do more complicated scenes with Smartthings and it would be nice if you could launch HT commands from Smartthings as well.

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Thanks for the link. I followed the same procedure this morning (after updating the Android app) and unfortunately I only saw Philips Hue under the Home Control device list.

The link says that Harmony Hub products “Requires an in app upgrade purchase. Coming soon” - so I’m assuming that’s why I don’t see SmartThings as an option yet. I wonder how much this in app purchase will cost…

I think they’re talking about this bad boy:
harmony hub extender

This sounds exciting! Looks like their own ziggbee/zwave controller, hopefully it can just act as a extender for smartthings.

i think what they mean by compatibility with harmony hub based products being available via in-app purchases is that the old hub (i.e. the one most of us will own) is capable of connecting to smart things but we’ll have to pay them to enable it, or buy a new harmony home product where it is enabled for free.

@sarkoon
@chrisjohnston

According to CNET, the upgrade will be $1.99 for the first 60 days, then go up to $19.99.

“Logitech reps told me that current owners of the Harmony Hub, Harmony Ultimate, Logitech Harmony Smart Control and Logitech Harmony Smart Keyboard will be able to upgrade their software to include the new home control capabilities. The upgrade will cost $1.99 within the first 60 days of upgrade availability, and $19.99 for customers who want to update their devices following that period.”

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